Loner
by Rust2
Summary: A boy who despises society and humanity finds himself in the hell that is Silent Hill...Now Complete.
1. Entry

LONER  
  
Allow me to ask you to leave your quiet little homes and beds for a small while, as we look in upon a nameless home in a nameless town. Allow me to show you a boy who currently dwells in this house in a state of solitude. Allow me to tell you a story about this boy, one which has yet come to pass.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
The boy's name was Douglas Grayson, simply called Gray by all who knew him. This wasn't because his friends nicknamed him for it or any similar reason; all of his school papers simply bore the name "Gray" and so he was therefore called that by his teachers and referred to it by the few students who occasionally wished to talk to him.  
  
Those who did, however, usually found it futile. All they were met with was a blank stare or, at the very best, a low mumble that could be turned into words only by the very smallest chance. Before long, it was established that talking to him was a hopeless waste of effort. Making friends with him was an absurd notion in itself.  
  
He was fifteen years old, and despite his odd personality, he did extremely well in school. His memorization of speeches and figures was nearly flawless, his knowledge of history and the principles of science amazing for a boy his age. The one class that his teachers regretted having with him was English - his essays were always brutal and short in their opinions, ad his stories were indescribable in their portrayal of people and the world they lived in. Reading them, his teachers may have noticed that he observed humanity coldly, as if looking through a cold glass, and marked them as quickly as they could. And when they handed them back to Gray, his cold stare met them as he took the paper. At that, the teacher in question would think that he or she almost got a glimpse of the secret workings of that boy's mind, and that though followed to the prayer that if he had a diary it was well hidden and that if found it would immediately be thrown into a hole and the hole would be filled with cement and that the ground would never be disturbed, ever.  
  
And right now he was in his small room, sitting on his bed with his head bowed down. In his hands was a video game case depicting a two simple but somehow chilling words: Silent Hill. He stared at it intently, looking as if he wanted to find something within its name.  
  
Suddenly, his head darted up as his eyes narrowed. He noticed something - it was dark. Midnight dark. But it was only the late afternoon. Something was wrong. Gray got up and looked out .is window. He couldn't even see outside, it was so dark.  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, Gray turned around and walked out of the room, letting the game slip out of his hand. It hit the floor with a small, unassuming thud as Gray shut the door behind him. He made his way through the pitch-black house to the kitchen and tried the light. To his relief, it still worked. He slid open a drawer and removed a butcher knife, hefting it in his hand. He then went to a closet, took a backpack, slipped the knife inside, and put it on. Gray opened the front door and walked out of his house.  
  
He was not at all surprised to notice that his house had vanished behind him, or that he was nowhere near his town. He stood at the opening of a wide street, while to his side, a decrepit wooden sign bore two words. Gray noticed the sign and then disregarded it. He knew what those words were.  
  
He tapped his foot and heard the harsh clunk of metal underneath. He then spoke into the dark air.  
  
"In my restless dreams, I see that town. "Silent Hill." 


	2. Meeting

Gray began to walk slowly in the deserted town, listening for any signs of danger.   
  
After a few moments, he removed the backpack and took the knife from it. This was no   
  
time to be walking around unarmed.  
  
Rundown buildings lined the streets, but Gray didn't try any of the doors – he   
  
knew they would be broken. They marched along the road, looking like the last horrible   
  
survivors of some desperate war. Gray kept his head up and his ears open, his eyes   
  
searching out even the smallest sign of danger.  
  
He suddenly felt a hot breath on the back of his neck. His eyes widened.  
  
Gray leaped aside, hitting the asphalt hard as he felt something part the air behind   
  
him. He quickly got up again, eyes narrow, as he saw what had been behind him.  
  
It looked very human, with the build and shape of a young man, but it was   
  
definitely one of the demons that resided in Silent Hill. Its body was mottled and yellow,   
  
with infected, pussy sores covering its body. In one hand it grasped a short knife, the   
  
instrument that had nearly cleaved Gray's head off. Its face was covered by a dirty piece   
  
of paper that had a mouth drawn on it. The mouth looked trapped between a smile and a   
  
scream. An odd reek hung over its body.  
  
"Annoying…" Gray remarked. The thing began to walk toward him, its feet   
  
making wet squishing sounds on the street as it went along. It raised its knife arm to   
  
slash again.  
  
Quickly, Gray got underneath the arm and plunged his knife into its chest. The   
  
thing screeched in pain and fell to the ground. Gray walked over to the thing, and   
  
brought his foot down hard on its neck. He smiled slightly at the sound of its neck   
  
snapping. The monster moaned and then was still.  
  
Breathing hard, Gray turned around and noticed writing on a door. It hadn't been   
  
there before, he was sure. The writing was bloodred, and little more than a scrawl. It   
  
said:  
  
You know why you're here.  
  
  
  
"Maybe I do," Gray said out loud. He found this act neither strange nor pointless.   
  
"What's it to you?"  
  
Suddenly, new writing bled onto the door.  
  
You called them.  
  
"Called who?"  
  
Them.  
  
  
  
Squish…squish…  
  
Gray gasped and whirled around. There were six of the paper-faced monsters   
  
closing in on him, their head twitching in anticipation as they clutched their knives   
  
tightly. He turned around again and saw one more sentence on the door.  
  
Your atonement has begun.  
  
Out of sheer instinct, Gray ran to the door and tried the knob. To his surprise, it   
  
gave to his weight. He ran in and slammed the door behind him. He was safe now – as   
  
he listened the Paperface monsters were walking away.  
  
Gray slid down the door and sighed deeply. Looking around, he seemed to be in   
  
some sort of pharmacy. Bottles of pills and toothpaste lined the shelves; of course, none   
  
of them would be useful. The place had fallen into decay, but Gray could still pick up an   
  
old smell – the sharp, permeating stench of rubbing alcohol. There was a back door next   
  
to the counter. Gray made his way toward it.  
  
"Don't…move."  
  
"Someone there?" Gray asked. As he turned around, he saw that there was indeed   
  
someone there – she was a girl who looked to be around fifteen, with long black hair and   
  
a pale face. She was currently pointing a pistol at Gray, though her hands were shaking   
  
considerably.  
  
"You don't have to worry," Gray said. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
Slowly, the girl lowered the pistol. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name's Gray, not that it's any business of yours."  
  
"Gray…I'm Julia. Can you tell me what happened? I woke up and suddenly I   
  
was here, and this," at this she gestured with the pistol, "was in front of me. I can't even   
  
find my house!" She was on the verge of tears.  
  
"Really?" Gray said mildly. "That's a bitch. Well, see you." He began to make   
  
his way toward the door again while Julia's eyes widened.  
  
"You're just going to leave me here? I don't even know where this place is!"  
  
Gray stopped. "Have you ever heard of…Silent Hill?"  
  
"It's a game, right?" Julia asked. "I think I played it once."  
  
"Well, this place sure does resemble that town. So, I'd say you keep that gun   
  
ready and your guard up. A lot of this town's inhabitants would love to meet you and eat   
  
you."  
  
Julia grabbed Gray's arm. "Please…please don't leave me here."  
  
"I don't need anybody slowing me down."  
  
"Why are you so goddamn calm about this?" Now Julia was crying. "You're   
  
acting like you expected it!"  
  
At this, Gray stiffened. "Maybe…I was."  
  
"What?"  
  
Gray turned towards the girl, and she recoiled a little at his stare. It was flat and   
  
emotionless, like lizard's eyes. "Fine. You can come. But don't expect me to protect   
  
you. You have a gun."  
  
Julia stared at it for a moment. "Here, take it," she said. "I wouldn't be able to   
  
shoot it anyway."  
  
Gray took it and stared at it for a moment. "Then at least take this. You'll only   
  
be an annoyance if you can't defend yourself. And remember, I'm only doing this   
  
because I may feel a little guilty if you die alone." He handed her the knife.  
  
"Thanks…I think."  
  
They walked through the door and found themselves in a small storage room. On   
  
the wall was a teddy bear. It had been staked to the wall, and there was a piece of paper   
  
on the stake.  
  
"Who did this?" Julia asked.  
  
"When things happen in Silent Hill, it's usually better not to know how it   
  
happened," Gray responded. He removed the paper from the stake. "What the…?"  
  
Julia leaned over to look. Something had been written on it in red ink.  
  
You say you expected it, but perhaps you wanted it, too.  
  
The path begins and ends in the same place, yet you will travel far to reach   
  
both.  
  
The truth can only be learned by going forward.  
  
On the other side of the paper was a small map. It showed the pharmacy (labeled   
  
PHARMACY in the same red ink) and a path going to a large square labeled SCHOOL.  
  
"Well," Gray said, putting the paper in his pocket, "at least we know where to go.   
  
And…it seems someone is trying to help us."  
  
On a table were 2 boxes of handgun bullets. Gray picked them up, put them in   
  
the pack and left for the school with Julia. 


	3. Pilgrimage

The pair's footsteps rapped briskly on the dirty pavement, Gray's sneakers   
  
making heavy thumps, Julia's shoes clicking sharply. Gray was keeping a fast pace, his   
  
face etched into grim lines as he clutched the pistol tightly. His backpack made thump-  
  
thumping sounds as he walked.  
  
Behind him, Julia was beginning to tire. Gray hadn't slowed in nearly fifteen   
  
minutes, and she was beginning to get a heavy stitch in her side. Finally, she stopped,   
  
panting heavily and doubling over. Looking up, she was horrified to see Gray still   
  
keeping the same pace into the fog.  
  
"Gray!" she cried. "Gray, WAIT A MINUTE!"  
  
He abruptly stopped walking and turned around, giving Julia the exquisite   
  
displeasure of being nailed with that reptilian gaze once again. Slowly, he walked over to   
  
Julia.  
  
"You're really a pain, you know that?"  
  
"I'm…sorry," she panted. "You walk really fast. I can't keep up with you."  
  
"Too bad," Gray said coldly. "Keep this up and I won't have any qualms about   
  
ditching you here. And believe me, if you get tired out this easily then you won't last ten   
  
seconds out in the streets."  
  
Julia looked up at him, shocked by this remark. "You jerk!" she cried.  
  
Gray raised an eyebrow at this, then responded, "Am I? Fine. I really don't give a   
  
damn. But if you continue to be a burden, I'll leave you here. And I promise the   
  
residents won't let you die quickly."  
  
With that, he turned and began walking again. After watching him for a long   
  
moment, Julia followed.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"This is taking a lot longer than it should," Gray muttered as he stared at the   
  
makeshift map. He turned it around to look at the message. "The only way is to go   
  
forward…who the wrote this?"  
  
Suddenly Julia said, "Um…Gray…what is that thing?"  
  
"Hmm?" Gray looked up and saw what she was talking about.  
  
It wasn't one of the Paperfaces, but it was doubtless another monster. It was only   
  
about 3 feet tall, and seemed to be wrapped in some kind of bloody canvas from head to   
  
toe, with only a hole cut open for the mouth – not exactly a good thing, since it made the   
  
thing's strange, mewling cries very audible. It was wobbling towards the pair uneasily,   
  
as if it had just learned to walk. As they watched, it was joined by another, and then   
  
another.  
  
"Oh, it's so sad," Julia whispered. Gray's eyes widened as she started walking   
  
toward the first one. "Is it hurt or someth-"  
  
"You idiot, GET AWAY!" Gray screamed. He snatched onto her neck and   
  
yanked her away just as the thing's mewling cries turned into ear-shattering screeches.   
  
As he watched, two bloody claws popped out of the canvas on its arms. The other two   
  
followed suit.  
  
Julia screamed as the three monsters started advancing on them, ramming their   
  
claws into the ground and they dashed with terrifying speed. Gray calmly raised the   
  
pistol and pumped off three rounds, each hitting one of the heads of the baby-things.   
  
Without another sound, they fell.  
  
Gray turned around and stared hard at Julia.  
  
"Don't…do…that…again," he snarled. "If you make one more move that stupid,   
  
then I swear I'll kill you myself."  
  
"I'm sorry," Julia said. "I just wasn't thinking."  
  
"Wasn't thinking!?" Gray shouted into her face. "Wasn't THINKING!? How the   
  
hell can you not be thinking in a situation like this? Do you expect me to do all the   
  
thinking for you, maybe? Well guess what," he continued, "I am NOT here to protect   
  
you. And if you don't start making yourself useful, then…" He suddenly trailed off.  
  
"What is it?" Julia asked timidly. She had been taken aback by his sudden   
  
outburst. But then she could hear it too – a quick, sharp sound that was approaching fast.  
  
Sniksniksniksniksnik…  
  
"This isn't good. Those babies had friends," Gray said, eyes wide. Then he   
  
looked at Julia. "I'm running. If you want to, you can follow. But remember what I   
  
said."  
  
Without another word, he dashed off into the fog. Julia followed without   
  
hesitation this time, for the sound was getting louder and she could hear the slavering of   
  
those monsters that possessed the claws.  
  
They ran, Gray using the map to see where they should turn. But as fast as they   
  
went, they could hear the sounds getting louder. If either of them slowed, they would be   
  
torn to bits by those monsters.  
  
"Gray!" Julia cried.  
  
"What us it now?" he panted. He was getting tired.  
  
"Over here!" she responded. Gray looked and saw a small alleyway between two   
  
houses. It was a long shot, but better than dying. Gray went in.  
  
"Stay quiet and don't move," he whispered. The sounds were getting unbearably   
  
loud. Finally, the creatures came.  
  
They were the babies, but there were a lot more than the ones Gray had killed –   
  
perhaps as many as two dozen. They moved quickly, their claws pounding into the   
  
asphalt with uncanny precision – they were as organized as a line of train cars, each claw   
  
entering the hole made by the previous monster. They passed by the pair without   
  
hesitation, and gradually the sounds faded into the distance.  
  
"That was close," Julia sighed.  
  
"I owe you for that one," Gray said. "There was no way I would have found this   
  
place."  
  
"It's okay," Julia said. "You were right – it was stupid of me to just come close to   
  
one of those monsters. I'll…I'll try to be more careful."  
  
"See that you do," Gray muttered. He took another look at the paper. "Looks like   
  
we're here." He pointed.  
  
Julia followed his finger and saw a large, dirty brick building with the words   
  
MIDWHICH HIGH SCHOOL printed on it. It stood tall among the other, smaller   
  
buildings crowding to the left and right of it.  
  
"Wasn't it an elementary school in the game?" Julia asked.  
  
"Hell, Silent Hill can change its appearance to anything it wants. If it wanted to it   
  
could turn that building into an outhouse." He held up the paper. "And our admirer here   
  
seems to know that."  
  
They stepped out onto the street and looked in wonder for a few seconds at the   
  
Cadaver Babies' handiwork. The holes from their claws stretched as far as the eye could   
  
see – which, granted, wasn't very far due to the fog. The holes were perfectly clean,   
  
without a single jagged edge. Those claws were honed to a razor point.  
  
Gray stepped up and saw yet another note on the door:  
  
BEYOND THESE DOORS LIES THE TRUE HORROR OF SILENT HILL. REVOKE   
  
AND REPENT, OR YOU WILL NEVER RETURN.   
  
THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE LEARNED BY GOING FORWARD.  
  
"Happy birthday to you, too," Gray said sardonically. He pushed open the doors,   
  
wincing a little at the rusty screech they made. The pair then stepped through.  
  
And if we listen, we can hear the doors lock securely behind them. 


	4. Gray's Grudge

Gray wasn't particularly surprised to discover that the school had the same layout   
  
as his. However, the place was filthy and abandoned, as if decades had passed without   
  
anyone ever visiting. Brown bottles lay broken and glittering in the corners, and smaller,   
  
cylindrical pill bottles were in the rubble.  
  
"Well," he said, "at least we won't need a map. This is my school."  
  
"That must mean that you're the one the town wants," Julia said. "I at least know   
  
enough about the game to know what Silent Hill does. But…why is it here?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," he said. "Maybe…and I say maybe…Silent Hill was real   
  
all along. Maybe it exists deep within the pits of hell, just waiting to arise for the right   
  
person. Perhaps one of the makers of the game knew this, or maybe the town even   
  
decided to pay him a visit. I'm not sure."  
  
"But then why…"  
  
"Let's go," Gray interrupted. He crumpled up the paper and threw it on the   
  
ground. "If we want to get out of here we can't wait for anything."  
  
They were currently in a decrepit foyer area, with two long halls splitting off to   
  
the left and right on the foyer. Gray took the hall to the right.  
  
"Where to you think we should go?" Julia asked.   
  
"Well, I guess that a big room would be our best bet," he said. "I don't really   
  
want to know what Silent Hill can do to a cafeteria, so the auditorium is first."  
  
Squish…squish…  
  
"Not again…" Gray sighed. He pulled Julia into one of the alcoves where the   
  
classroom doors rested. "Be quiet."  
  
Slowly, the Paperface came into view, clutching its knife. It momentarily glanced   
  
at the alcove, then walked on. Gray came out of hiding and shot it in the back of the   
  
head. Without a sound, it fell.   
  
"You're getting used to this, aren't you?" Julia said. She glanced down at the   
  
knife. "I wouldn't be able to do that…those monsters look too much like people for me   
  
to kill them."  
  
Gray didn't respond, he just scoffed. He walked two more doors down and tried a   
  
large set of double doors. "Good, it's open."  
  
He swung then open and they looked inside. The large auditorium, like the rest of   
  
the school, was falling apart – the seats were either dismembered or wholly gone, and   
  
water dripped from the ceiling out of nasty, broken pipes. However, one light was still   
  
on – and it was illuminating something on the stage. Gray ran over to it and saw what the   
  
thing was. It was another message:  
  
ROOM 1134  
  
"I guess that's where we need to…" He trailed off as more writing appeared on   
  
the paper.  
  
RUN AWAY  
  
"Run away…?" Gray said. This time, the words SCREAMED across the paper.  
  
RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN   
  
AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!   
  
Gray could now hear something – some thick, inhuman slurping sound coming   
  
from backstage.  
  
He turned to Julia, who was still in the doorway. "Run!!" he screamed. "Go! Go!   
  
GO!!!"  
  
Eyes wide, Julia exited the room. Gray sprinted across the auditorium, sparing   
  
one look back to see that countless slithering line of blood were chasing him at incredible   
  
speed. The blood had already devoured half of the auditorium. Running as fast as he   
  
could, Gray leaped through the doors just before they slammed shut.  
  
"Gray, what was that?" Julia asked in hushed tones.  
  
"A warning," Gray panted. "This town isn't playing with us anymore. It means   
  
to kill us right here. And that means it can spring these little traps on us no matter where   
  
we are."  
  
"Did you find anything on that stage?"  
  
"Yeah. It told me to go to room 1134. It also warned me about what just   
  
happened in there."  
  
"The message warned you?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Whoever's doing this might be a resident of this town, for all I know."   
  
He kicked one of the brown bottles out of the way.  
  
"What are those?" Julia asked.  
  
"Not a clue," Gray answered quickly. "Come on, 1134 is on the third floor.   
  
We'll take the stairs. Elevators are bad news in Silent Hill, believe me."  
  
Gray led Julia down the halls, taking a left, then a right. Through it all Julia saw   
  
numerous bottles – they were scattered everywhere, and some were shattered. Also, the   
  
place stank. It smelled like rubbing alcohol.  
  
"Here we are." Gray pushed open another door. Inside the stairwell there were no   
  
bottles – only a dimly flickering light at the very top of the steps. Julia had a moment to   
  
wonder how this place still had electricity before Gray started climbing the steps.   
  
Halfway up the third floor, he stared at the light and wondered the same thing.  
  
The light flickered. Suddenly there was a figure standing there – something that   
  
was too blurry to make out.  
  
Flicker.  
  
It was gone.  
  
Flicker. It was standing there again, only this time it seemed to be much more in   
  
focus. Gray recognized it and his eyes widened in horror.   
  
Julia heard Gray whisper something that sounded like "Pier" before it happened.  
  
Flicker.   
  
It was standing right in front of him.  
  
Gray screamed and jumped back, slamming into the wall. As soon as he did, it   
  
was gone.  
  
"What's wrong?" Julia said as she ran over to Gray.  
  
"Didn't…didn't you see it?" Gray gasped.  
  
"I didn't see anything…"  
  
"Then that means that I must be…"   
  
Gray cut off the sentence and stood up. "Never mind," he muttered. "We still   
  
have somewhere to go."  
  
They climbed the stairs and opened the door. In the halls there were even more   
  
bottles – it was difficult to walk without stepping on one. Gray led her down the   
  
hallways rather uneventfully until they stopped at one last door. Above it were the   
  
numbers 1134.  
  
"This is it," Gray said. He reached for the knob…  
  
…but the knob started to turn on its own.  
  
Gray's eyes widened as he pulled Julia back into another alcove, putting his hand   
  
over her mouth to muffle her scream. After he was sure she'd be quiet, he released his   
  
grip as they watched what had come out.  
  
It was a Paperface, but it looked a lot different from the ones they had seen so far.   
  
For one thing, it didn't have a knife. It was instead wearing what looked like a pair of   
  
tough engineer gloves. It also had some sort of apron on its body, and looked a lot more   
  
muscular than other Paperfaces. Like the other, it glanced at the alcove and actually   
  
lifted the paper on its face a bit to get a better look, then moved on.  
  
Gray got ready and whipped around the corned to blow the monster away – but it   
  
was gone.  
  
Gray lowered the pistol. "What just happened?" he said thoughtfully. "Monsters   
  
shouldn't even have the brains to open doors…"  
  
"Well, at least it went away," Julia said. She opened the door and went inside.  
  
1134 seemed like a normal classroom. There were a set of watercolors and a   
  
glass of water on one of the desks, showing that the place was an art room. The teachers   
  
desk was vacant save for a small pad of paper on the desk.   
  
"This place looks safe," Gray said. "Let's rest here for a while."  
  
"Good idea," Julia agreed. She went over to the teacher's desk and picked up the   
  
paper. There was something written on it:  
  
(Mary said that that boy – Douglas Grayson I think his name was? – has been   
  
acting much more aggressive around other children lately. He is usually calm, but in the   
  
past day he has seemed especially snappish and irritable. Due to his antisocial behavior   
  
and high levels of stress, I'm worried that this may end in violence. Of course, I don't   
  
think he can be entirely blamed, especially after)  
  
There the message abruptly stopped. Julia looked up and noticed that there was   
  
also something written on the board:  
  
DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE? OR ARE YOU JUST LYING TO   
  
YOURSELF?  
  
THE NEXT DOOR WILL SEE WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN SURVIVE YOUR   
  
OWN MIND. SUCCEED, AND YOU WILL HAVE TAKEN ONE STEP CLOSER TO   
  
REDEMPTION.  
  
THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE LEARNED BY GOING FORWARD.  
  
"Not this again," Gray said, reading the message. Who could be writing these?   
  
Well, whatever." He sat down at the teacher's desk and, finding a pen in one of the   
  
drawers, began tapping it on the desk.  
  
"Gray…" Julia asked. "You don't have many friends, do you?"  
  
"I don't have any, if it's any of your business," Gray said harshly.  
  
"But why?"  
  
Tap…tap…  
  
"You really want to know? I'll tell you. To be honest, I don't like people.   
  
People in general, that is to say. I hate all of their little faults, their constant complaining   
  
and their bleeding hearts. Every time I look in the paper I see something else that makes   
  
me sick. We're all just one big bowling ball rolling down into hell."  
  
"We're not all like that, you know."  
  
"I don't really care. It's always better to live on your own. Every time you try to   
  
get to know someone, their faults turn around and slap you in the face. I've never run   
  
into a situation that I couldn't pull through alone. Everyone betrays. Even the ones that   
  
you thought were close to you."  
  
Tap…tap..  
  
"Like who?"  
  
"Well, for one, my-"  
  
THWACK!  
  
Though Gray's expression didn't change, he had suddenly brought down the pen   
  
hard enough to pierce the desk. It stood up like that, all on its own.  
  
"It's none of your business," Gray said coolly. He got up and began to leave.   
  
Julia followed.  
  
"Gray…wait…!"  
  
She screamed when they entered the hallway.  
  
The floor had changed into metal grating, and the walls had become bloody, with   
  
teddy bears and bottles staked or glued to the walls. There was an inhuman shrieking and   
  
some horrible muttering in the background. The hall had straightened out somehow – it   
  
only ran one way in either direction out of sight.  
  
Squish…squish…  
  
She turned to the left and saw a horrible monster coming towards them. It was   
  
white and festering, with only a vague lump for a head and bloody, oozing sores all over   
  
its flesh. It was also grotesquely fat, almost taking up the whole hallway. It gave off a   
  
stench that made her retch – it smelled like fermented wine and ancient whisky combined   
  
with the rotting smell of the grave. As she looked, it began to build up speed as it came   
  
at them.  
  
"Gray, let's run." No response. "Gray?"  
  
She turned around and saw that Gray was having what looked like some sort of   
  
seizure. His eyes weren't rolling up; they just stayed fixated on the monster and wide   
  
open. They also looked like they were brimming with tears. He was making some sort   
  
of gagging sound too.  
  
"Ma…ma…"  
  
"Yes, it's a monster, now let's get OUT OF HERE!" Julia smacked him across the   
  
face; the sound stopped and he nodded. They began to run, the monster breaking into an   
  
incredibly fast sprint for its size.  
  
The run down that hall seemed to last forever. The teddy bears stared at them   
  
blankly; the doors offered no refuge. The monster's slavering howls grew closer.   
  
Finally, Julia's worst fear came true: They hit a dead end.  
  
Julia scrabbled on the wall for purchase as Gray blankly stared at the beast that   
  
was rapidly approaching. They were all going to die…  
  
Screech. Screech.  
  
What was that sound? Like a rusted wheel turning, or maybe a valve…  
  
Suddenly, the grate that the monster was standing on collapsed. It fell, but it got   
  
wedged between the walls – it was too fat. As Julia marveled at this, Gray soundlessly   
  
stepped over the struggling demon and opened a door.  
  
"Gray?"  
  
Gray came out, dragging a sledgehammer that may have been used for   
  
construction. His eyes were dreadful – they were dead and blank like a drug addict's.   
  
"Gray…?"  
  
He dragged the hammer with one arm behind him as it thumped on the grates.   
  
Then he raised it and snarled:  
  
"What…will it take…for you to STAY DEAD!?"  
  
He brought the hammer down and it smashed into the monster's head. It uttered a   
  
high, womanlike scream as he kept bringing down the hammer, screaming the words like   
  
chant.   
  
"What will it TAKE? What will it TAKE? What the hell will it TAKE!?"  
  
Eventually, the hammer stopped falling. The monster was clearly dead – its blood   
  
was spattered all over Gray's clothes. Gray stared at it for a long time. Then he dropped   
  
the hammer and fell down to the ground, sobbing.  
  
"What will it take…what will it take…" 


	5. Gatekeeper

"Gray…what just happened? What…"  
  
"Please…" Gray whispered. "Please, Julia, just…just give me some time."  
  
Slowly, Gray stood up and began walking down the hall. He went slowly, his feet   
  
dragging on the floor as he left the bloodstained hammer behind. He monster was   
  
actually mashed out of shape by Gray's blows – its head seemed to have caved in on the   
  
rest of its body.  
  
"Gray, wait!" Julia cried. She went over the monster and ran to him. "Where do   
  
you think you can go?"  
  
"It…doesn't matter anymore," Gray said. His hair was matted and sweaty, and it   
  
obscured his eyes as he turned to Julia.   
  
He grasped the handle of the nearest door.  
  
"All I ever wanted…was to atone. That's why…that's why I'm here." He looked   
  
up at Julia. "Julia…I am so sorry for all the trouble."  
  
He opened to the door and closed it behind him. Julia ran to it and tried it, but it   
  
had suddenly locked. She stared at the door.  
  
"Gray…what did you see?" Thoughtfully, she turned toward the bloated demon.  
  
"Did you see something that I didn't?  
  
"What did you see…?"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------  
  
He was walking down another hall.  
  
This one was sparse and silent, and appeared to be made out of concrete. A place   
  
like this didn't belong in any school, but Gray knew. He had left the school a long time   
  
ago. This…this was the true form of Silent Hill.  
  
Finally, he came to another door. Instead of opening it, he stopped at this one.  
  
"Why were you still here?" he whispered to himself. "Of all places, why here? I   
  
thought you were gone for good…I thought that I could finally be alone…"  
  
The door swung open by itself. Gray's eyes widened at what he saw inside.  
  
There was a woman in there, standing with her back to him. She seemed to be   
  
staring into a deep hole in the steel-grated floor. She was wearing a pair of jeans and   
  
what looked like a white sweater, with short black hair hanging over her neck. Her head   
  
was bowed down as she stood on the edge of the platform.  
  
Gray took a step toward the woman.  
  
"You…you look like…"  
  
Suddenly, a blurred form reached up and pulled the woman into the hole. Gray   
  
screamed as she was pulled with such force that the hole caved in and lost its shape,   
  
almost as if it had fallen in with her.  
  
Slowly, Gray walked over to the edge of the pit. He stared down – the dark   
  
stretched as far as the eye could see, and it didn't look like there was any end in sight. He   
  
closed his eyes…and jumped.  
  
He landed on what felt like concrete, though for all he knew he could have simply   
  
tripped off the curb. He wasn't even bruised. The place was almost completely dark, and   
  
it took a while for his eyes to adjust. When they finally did, he found himself in a small,   
  
square concrete room. It was completely plain except for a few more bottles tossed in a   
  
corner, which Gray viewed with disgust. There was yet another door to his left. Gray   
  
opened it and stepped through.  
  
The din that greeted him in the next hall was so deafening that for a moment Gray   
  
was sure that his eardrums had been blown. Like the last room, this one was so dark that   
  
he couldn't even see what was making the myriad of screams, howls, and slobbering that   
  
came from every direction. When his eyes cleared and he was sure he hadn't gone deaf,   
  
he looked around.  
  
He was in a long, very narrow hall flanked with two long cages to either side.   
  
The cages were absolutely packed with Paperfaces and Cadaver Babies. They were   
  
responsible for the horrible racket that was echoing through the whole room. They   
  
reached through the bars, attempting to pull Gray in, but the distance was just beyond   
  
their reach to grab. Gray walked slowly through the hall, ignoring the screams and   
  
sometimes getting his legs pricked by the claws of the Cadaver Babies. But as soon as he   
  
reached a steel door that marked the end of the hall, all the screaming stopped.  
  
Gray looked over his shoulder to see what they were doing. His eyes still held   
  
that dead, haunted look as they passed over the demons. They were all standing perfectly   
  
still with their arms at their sides, quivering slightly as if they were anticipating   
  
something.  
  
"You all look the same to me," Gray said to the monsters. Then he pulled open   
  
the door and walked into the final room.  
  
It was wide, and seemed to be made of stone, but the walls were lined with what   
  
looked like veined and pulsating flesh. There were a number of large square holes carved   
  
into the tops of the high walls, as if something lived there. In the center of the room, the   
  
woman Gray saw was being mangled horribly by another demon.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Gray screamed. He raised the pistol, but the monster jumped   
  
out of the way with odd grace, leaving the woman apparently dead in the center. Gray   
  
ran over and felt her hand, and noticed it was hard and cool to the touch. She was just a   
  
doll.  
  
Slowly, Gray stood up and faced the beast that was watching him.  
  
It was wearing an apron made of some canvas-like material, and tough   
  
engineering gloves. It had no face to speak of – the front of its head was smoothly,   
  
utterly blank. Gray spotted a piece of paper crumpled at his feet and picked it up. There   
  
was a large smile face drawn on it.  
  
The watercolors on the desk.  
  
The strange Paperface actually lifting the paper, as if to get a better look.  
  
"It was you…" Gray said to it. "You're the gatekeeper of Silent Hill…your name   
  
is Valtiel, isn't it…?"  
  
The creature's head suddenly began to twitch rapidly. Gray raised the gun.  
  
"I'll kill you here."  
  
Valtiel gave a burping sound that was oddly like a laugh, then jumped onto one of   
  
the walls. It clung there like some kind of insect. Gray raised the pistol at it, but it   
  
jumped all the way to the next wall.  
  
As Gray turned around, Valtiel jumped off and began to dash at him with   
  
incredible speed. Gray jumped out the way as Valtiel smashed the stone floor with one   
  
downward punch. The gatekeeper possessed no weapons but its strength and speed were   
  
incredible. If even one of those punched connected Gray would be killed, and fast.  
  
He raised the pistol at Valtiel and fired, but it jumped up again and this time stood   
  
on the ceiling, its arms crossed calmly as if it were simply waiting for the bus to come   
  
instead of dodging bullets. A growth on the back of its head pulsed and opened   
  
rhythmically as it waited for Gray's next move.  
  
"Stay STILL, goddamn you!" Gray snarled. He raised the gun again and fired off   
  
another shot. Valtiel ran on the ceiling, and dropped down…  
  
…right behind Gray.  
  
As he turned around, Valtiel's putrid hands close around Gray's neck and began   
  
to squeeze, choking him. It could easily squeeze harder and send his head rocketing into   
  
the ceiling like a party favor, but apparently it wanted to toy with him instead.  
  
Gray was beginning to lose consciousness. Its skin was almost impervious to   
  
bullets, and he only had two bullets left in the clip. What could he do to get out of   
  
this…?  
  
Suddenly, he knew the answer. With every bit of his remaining strength, he   
  
reached over and jammed the barrel of the gun into the growth on the back of Valtiel's   
  
head. Its grip loosened in surprise.  
  
Gray promptly fired two rounds into the hole. Screaming, it dropped him and   
  
retreated to the other side of the room, massaging its head fiercely. As Gray watched this   
  
oddly human act in utter confusion, Valtiel scurried up the wall and disappeared into one   
  
of the holes.  
  
Gray sighed and got another clip out of his backpack. As he reloaded the pistol,   
  
he noticed more writing on the far wall:  
  
YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE  
  
"Yes," he said softly. There was no longer any use in denying it.  
  
THIS TOWN IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE THE FORCES OF GOD.  
  
HOWEVER, SOME LOWER POWER HAS CAUSED THIS.  
  
AS A SERVANT OF GOD, I CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. THE GIRL   
  
WAS CALLED TO HELP YOU LEARN THE TRUTH.  
  
NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE TRUTH, THERE IS NO MORE GOING FORWARD.  
  
THE ONLY PATH REMAINING LEADS TO SALVATION…OR DAMNATION.  
  
WHICH ONE IT IS…IS UP TO YOU.  
  
There was suddenly the screeching of rusty valves as a part of the wall lifted.   
  
Behind it was a door.  
  
YOU HAVE PROVED YOUR STRENGTH…NOW PROVE THAT YOUR MIND   
  
CAN WITHSTAND SILENT HILL.  
  
MAY THE GRACE OF GOD SHOW PITY ON YOUR SOUL.  
  
After reading this, Gray put his hand on the doorhandle.  
  
"Valtiel…could you have been…?"  
  
He pushed these thoughts aside…and stepped through. 


	6. Julia

Julia tried the door for nearly two minutes after Gray left through it, but to no   
  
avail – that door was locked and it clearly intended to remain locked. She looked to the   
  
left and right of the hellish hall, her eyes wide in fear.  
  
"What do I do now…?" she whispered to herself.   
  
At that point, Julia realized just how much she had been relying on Gray to get   
  
her through all this. Despite his constant insults and his indifferent attitude, she suddenly   
  
knew that he was right – had it not been for him, she would have perished as soon as she   
  
attempted to walk out on the streets of Silent Hill. The sights and sounds of the town   
  
would have driven her mad with fear, but somehow his calm demeanor seemed to rub off   
  
on her.  
  
But now, it seemed he had finally snapped. The monster that was currently   
  
rotting away in its space between the floor grates had pushed him over the edge   
  
somehow. As he bashed that thing's head in, his roaring had made Julia cringe against   
  
the wall. It was like he had been possessed by something…no, it wasn't that. It was like   
  
Gray had been holding something back this whole time, suppressing it, and that beast had   
  
finally allowed it to break loose. Now, it had broken him. His calm, hard features had   
  
seemed to sag when Julia saw them. He had looked like an old man.  
  
Silent Hill only called those who had damned themselves somehow.  
  
But…  
  
What had Gray done…?  
  
All of a sudden, the racket in the halls stopped. With an almost audible SNAP,   
  
they resumed their original shape. Only this time, the corridor was much smaller, and   
  
there was only one door – at the very end.  
  
Without hesitation, Julia opened it and stepped through to find…  
  
Nothing at all.  
  
With a shriek, she grabbed onto the bottom of the door, hanging over a yawning   
  
black pit that completely defied the laws of space. It was totally black down there – not   
  
that she felt any great need to look down. Her grip was slipping…  
  
She fell, screaming, into the pit.  
  
"Oomph!"  
  
After what felt like only a few seconds of falling, she landed hard on a dirt floor.   
  
Her back felt like it had been bruised, but otherwise she was okay. She looked around.   
  
This was NOT a part of the school.  
  
But if this path led to Gray, then it would be worth taking. She opened the only   
  
door in the room and went into a room that was completely black. Small mewling sounds   
  
were audible though, and Julia wondered where they were coming from until her eyes   
  
adjusted.  
  
She let in a soundless gasp and held it in. The walls and ceiling of the room were   
  
completely covered with Cadaver Babies, clinging to them like some horrible parody of   
  
insect. They rustled occasionally, but otherwise appeared to be sleeping. Her heart   
  
thumping crazily in her chest, Julia made her way through the room as soundlessly as she   
  
could and opened the next door.  
  
This place looked like a normal hall, though somewhat dirty. It in fact resembled   
  
the school hall, complete with the alcoves. Waiting for her heart to calm down a bit, Julia   
  
leaned against the door and slowly slid down.   
  
Her eyes suddenly spotted another scrap of paper on the ground. She leaned over   
  
to look at it, but reading it was almost impossible. It was specked with filth and torn up.  
  
(Ts wld is tmng wh unnesry pple. ven she is prt o thr enlss flws and hmiltins.   
  
Cnstnly bzing wh no cre fr her own sn. She dnt derv t lv… - GA)  
  
"What is this…?" Julia said softly. Disregarding it, she stood up and made her   
  
way down the hallway…only to run into a Paperface.  
  
Julia screamed and held up the knife. The demon gave her a long, calculating   
  
look…and then walked past her, its head twitching rapidly. It didn't even make a violent   
  
move toward her.  
  
Julia didn't bother wasting any more time. She went to the next door and pulled it   
  
open. This room was another plain one, with no other features except for another door.  
  
Julia suddenly remembered how much she missed her home.   
  
Why had SHE been pulled into this town? Sure, she wasn't exactly perfect – she   
  
went out a lot when her parents weren't home, and a few times she had taken money from   
  
her mom's purse – but small things like that surely weren't worthy of calling Silent Hill.   
  
She missed her family so much she almost wanted to cry.  
  
And, a small voice in her head whispered, if it hadn't been for Gray, you would   
  
have never seen them again. You would have been killed and left to rot on the street.  
  
Julia recalled with horror on how she had almost shot him when they met in the   
  
pharmacy. What would have happened if she had pulled the trigger?  
  
"I owe him too much," she said fiercely to herself. "I owe him my life."  
  
And she would not stop until she found where he went.   
  
She opened the next door and found herself in yet another school hall, but this one   
  
was different. The walls, floor, and ceiling were a slimy brown, and almost felt alive   
  
underneath her feet. Also, the left wall of the place was steel mesh, and a loud screeching   
  
sound was echoing throughout the area. Julia walked through and looked to her left, then   
  
let out a soundless scream which rushed through her lungs like dead air.  
  
There was a creature behind the mesh. It was wearing a thick apron and gloves,   
  
and was turning a pair of rusty red valves, creating the horrible screech that was echoing   
  
in her ears. There was a twitching growth on the back that was dripping blood. Julia   
  
took a step back…and heard her feet crunch on another bottle.  
  
The monster stopped dead. Slowly, it turned its head toward Julia, revealing a   
  
smooth, blank face completely devoid of features. As she watched in numbed horror, the   
  
monster raised a gloved finger to its nonexistent mouth.  
  
Amazingly, she clearly heard it make a sound.  
  
"Shh…"  
  
At that, it resumed its duties, allowing Julia to marvel at what had just happened.   
  
She went through the door at the end of the hall, leaving the strange creature alone.  
  
This room was different.  
  
The floor was splashed with blood, lying in puddles and streaks all over the place.   
  
The walls were papered with what looked like newspaper, without a single blank space   
  
anywhere. Julia looked at them and noticed that they were all the same page – and that   
  
they all bore yesterday's date.  
  
(WOMAN FOUND DEAD FROM PILL OVERDOSE: Angela Grayson, age 46,   
  
was found dead today at 3:45 p.m. The cause of death appeared to be a massive lethal   
  
overdose of sleeping pills combined with alcohol. Estimated time of death was around   
  
8:17 a.m. Since Ms. Grayson, recently divorced, was a heavy alcoholic, the police are   
  
investigating accidental death as a cause. Her son, Douglas, was found in a catatonic   
  
state and has been planned to be put into a foster home within 48 hours.)  
  
Angela Grayson…Douglas Grayson…  
  
(Mary said that that boy…Douglas Grayson…)  
  
Gray….Grayson…Gray…Grayson…  
  
Julia almost thrust herself away from the papers and opened the door.  
  
And on the other side, she found Gray. 


	7. The Stairs

Julia felt as if she had seen this place before.  
  
It was a long, high staircase, the stairs rising and stretching all the way up into an   
  
unknown blackness that seemed to go on forever. The stairs were on fire – the sides and   
  
parts of the floor and ceiling were completely ablaze. The fire was creating tremendous   
  
heat; Julia felt herself sweating crazily.  
  
And, about twelve steps up, sat Gray.  
  
He was sitting on the stairs with his arms placed on his knees, his head bowed   
  
down and his face hidden from her. The backpack had been flung off his shoulders and   
  
was burning merry hell to the side. Julia was alarmed at thought of the clips igniting,   
  
when she then saw one jammed in Gray's pocket.  
  
She stepped forward.  
  
"Gray…?"  
  
Gray didn't raise his head.   
  
"…Julia…you came all the way here…why?" His voice was oddly hoarse and   
  
somehow completely different from the cool tones he displayed when they met.  
  
"I…I just had to find you, Gray," Julia said. "I owed you too much to just let you   
  
walk away. I had to thank you."  
  
"You…wanted to…thank me?"  
  
"Yes," she responded. She took another step. "Gray, is everything okay?"  
  
Gray raised his head and Julia almost took a step back at what she saw.  
  
Upon seeing it, she realized that THIS was what he really looked like, with all of   
  
his impassive glamours and masks thrown away. The face she saw was like a mask in   
  
itself. Gray's features were wracked with misery. The flames highlighted his gaunt face   
  
and threw all of the bones underneath the tightly stretched skin into perfect detail. His   
  
eyes were sunken, staring at her with terrible sadness. He looked damned.  
  
"Gray…what happened? What happened in that hallway?"  
  
Gray didn't look like he was going to answer at first. Then he stood up. Julia saw   
  
that whatever had been withering his face had affected his body too. His filthy clothes   
  
hung on his like rotted sails.  
  
"I…I didn't think that it would hurt at first," he said softly. "After it…happened,   
  
I thought that I would be able to get on like I always had. But it started to hurt anyway.   
  
And it wouldn't stop."  
  
His voice had taken on tones of confession, and Julia thought that he wasn't   
  
talking about what happened in that hallway at all.  
  
"After that," he continued, "I realized that I had always hurt. Always. Everything   
  
I did and said…was all a lie. I was wrong this whole time, and I didn't know it." His   
  
eyes were brimming with tears. "I'd done a horrible thing…so many horrible things…And it   
  
hurt. It hurt…so…much."  
  
Julia felt like she was going to cry herself. "Gray…it doesn't have to hurt   
  
forever." She had no idea what he was talking about, but she felt that she had to comfort   
  
him somehow – because this pain was eating him up.  
  
He stared down at her.  
  
"I suppose you pity me," he said, not unkindly. "Don't. Please don't. I'm not   
  
worth it…" Then his eyes narrowed. "Do you think you can save me? You can   
  
sympathize with me?"  
  
Julia only bowed her head.  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
Gray paused thoughtfully. Then he held out his hand to her.  
  
"Julia…give me back that knife."  
  
Her eyes wide, Julia clutched it and took a few more steps back. "Gray…I   
  
won't."  
  
"You don't need it anymore," Gray said sadly. "Julia…you were the one who   
  
made me realize that I was wrong all this time. I had to let someone near me…to   
  
discover that my beliefs were warped. That was why you were called here. That was   
  
your purpose."  
  
"My…purpose?"  
  
"I believe that the games really happened," Gray continued. "No…I'm sure of it.   
  
These events all really occurred before Silent Hill was blasted into Hell. So I called it. I   
  
called it because I thought that if I atoned, the pain would go away. You, Julia…you   
  
made me aware of the pain. I suppose I should hate you…but I want to thank you."  
  
He pointed to the door Julia came in through.  
  
"Now that your purpose is done, you can leave here. Consider it my final thanks   
  
for all your help."  
  
Slowly, a wall of flame separated the two. Julia cried out as Gray began to ascend   
  
the stairs.  
  
"Gray, wait…! Will we…will we ever see each other again?"  
  
Gray stopped and looked back.  
  
"Every beginning has an end…but that must mean every end has a new   
  
beginning, right? Julia…if we ever do meet each other again, I hope it will be in a better   
  
place. I may be damned…but I have no intention of dying here."  
  
Julia began to cry. "It's really hot in here," she said as gruffly as she could.  
  
"You…see it too?" Gray said in quiet wonder. "For me, it was always like   
  
this…until I met you."  
  
He turned around again and disappeared from her sight. Julia opened the door,   
  
sobbing heavily and dropping the knife. Why did it have to turn out like this? Why did   
  
the town have to manipulate them so cruelly?  
  
Her last thought before she crossed over into the world of real things once more   
  
was this: She had actually started to love him, if only just a little bit.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Gray had lost track of just how long he had been ascending the stairs, avoiding the   
  
flames the best he could. Eventually, the fire started to die down, and he walked in the   
  
dank, dark stairs that had no end. Voices barked out from the dark, accusing him.  
  
"Mama! Mama, I was looking for you. Now you're the only one left. Maybe   
  
then…maybe then I can rest."  
  
You came all this way…to look for someone? Are other people really that   
  
important? Even with all their imperfections?  
  
"Or maybe, you think you can SAVE me. Will you love me? Take care of me?   
  
Heal all my pain?"  
  
No…I can't. I just can't.  
  
Now there was a little girl's voice:  
  
"You KILLER! Why'd you do it? I hate you!"  
  
Then hate me. All you like. After all, it's what I deserve.  
  
"I want her back!"  
  
I can't do anything.  
  
"Give her back to me!"  
  
What can I do?  
  
He continued to walk, listening to the voices of the damned.  
  
"You can't kill someone just because of the way they looked at you!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Well why not?"  
  
Yes, why not? Human beings were so pathetic. They really didn't deserve to   
  
live. None of them did.  
  
But…if that was true…  
  
Then was killing people really like…killing people…?  
  
Gray stopped and dissolved into harsh sobs of pain and confusion. Everything he   
  
ever believed was falling apart. His head felt like it was being pulled in two as his new   
  
and old conflicts clashed and hacked at each other. What was right? Goddammit, what   
  
was RIGHT!?  
  
His hands were on the stairs…and he felt them change. Gray's eyes dilated.  
  
"No…oh dear God, NO…"  
  
The stairs became metal grating. The walls were lined with teddy bears with   
  
stakes through their chests, the heads and limbs twitching madly as if they were trying to   
  
escape. A horrible, arcane muttering filled the air.  
  
Gray looked up…and saw the door. Rotting and bloody, it screamed that this was   
  
the end, this was the end, this was the end of everything.  
  
Going up the hellish staircase, Douglas Grayson, called Gray by himself and the   
  
voices in his own mind, opened the door.  
  
And stepped through. 


	8. Redemption of Blade and Glass

The first two things Gray noticed about the room was that it was very large, and it   
  
was very cold. The second was a huge mirror took up the entire far wall of the room – in   
  
fact, the mirror WAS the wall, made of glass instead of the cold, dank stone that made up   
  
the floor and walls.  
  
And there was a woman in the center of the area – the same one Gray saw in the   
  
school. She was holding a rope with a sign on the end of it. The sign said: HATE ME.  
  
"No…I don't hate you. Mom, I'm sor-"   
  
At this, Gray cut off and looked at what the rope led to. His eyes widened.  
  
"No…don't…"  
  
She pulled the rope.  
  
Suddenly, a large guillotine that had been set into the ceiling whickered down and   
  
sliced the woman cleanly in half. This was no doll – blood spurted out from the body,   
  
splashing the walls and running down the mirror. The rope silently tumbled down,   
  
having snapped from being pulled with such force. As Gray watched in horror, the   
  
guillotine pulled back up and a small silver catch locked it back into place.  
  
He slowly walked over and examined the remains. It HAD been a doll, he   
  
discovered – there were no organs or anything to speak of. And yet the blood remained,   
  
screaming that he was wrong, that it was alive.   
  
He stepped over and stared into the mirror. He noticed the toll Silent Hill had   
  
taken on him – his cheeks were deathly white, his body was skeletal and splashed with   
  
grime, his features were drawn down into an expression of perfect misery.  
  
But then…the reflection grinned.  
  
Gray screamed and retreated to the other side of the room. Impossibly,   
  
horrifyingly, his reflection began to speak, its tone mocking and babyish.  
  
"You were pretty impressive to have gotten this far. So much pain for such a   
  
young boy…you certainly are strong of spirit. I know! You should start a religion of   
  
your own!" The reflection laughed and its teeth clamped down in hellish mirth. " 'This is   
  
Reverend Gray presiding, telling you that if you hate everyone, you can hurt anyone!   
  
Hallelujah! HALLELUJAH! HAL-EE-LOO-EE-YAH!!"  
  
"Shut up!" Gray shrieked at the mirror. He couldn't understand what was   
  
happening, but what this thing was saying cut deep. Every word it spoke seemed to   
  
loosen another bolt on his overstressed mind.  
  
The reflection stared at him. "But it's true, isn't it? You thought it was just fine   
  
when you got away with it. You slapped a layer of hate over your mind and called it   
  
good. But in the end, human emotions always win out. And that's good. Because that's   
  
what we like! That's what we eat!!"  
  
"Who are you talking about?"  
  
"Why, the town of course. The town and all its inhabitants. People like you are   
  
our breakfast, lunch and dinner…well, theirs anyway. You're MY entertainment. Even   
  
with him," the reflection spat this word out, "trying to wreck everything. He thinks that   
  
just because he serves our God, he has to meddle in all affairs that don't concern her.  
  
"But that's besides the point, right? You felt pain, and you called us. You   
  
wanted to be punished." It growled this last word with inhuman hunger.  
  
"No…" Gray protested, but it was weak. "I wanted to…atone…"  
  
"Oh, please, what's the difference? The last one who came here said that he   
  
wanted that too. He squirmed around for a while – a lot more than usual, in fact – but the   
  
town got him in the end. It always does."  
  
Gray couldn't even respond to that one. He was so tired…and the reflection's   
  
words made so much sense…  
  
"You should be punished, don't you think?" the mirror taunted. "You did such a   
  
bad thing. You're a bad boy, Gray. A VERY bad boy. Don't you think you should be   
  
disciplined? Don't you believe you should die? Don't you? Don't you!?"  
  
He was slipping…his mind had had it. This was the end…his eyes were   
  
closing…  
  
STAND.  
  
Gray's eyes snapped open again. What was that? Some voice deep inside his   
  
mind…and it sounded so familiar…so kind…  
  
"I think you should die! Don't you think you should die!?"  
  
Gray drew himself up to his full height.   
  
"No."  
  
"Are you still in deni…" The reflection's taunts trailed off as Gray looked up at   
  
it. His eyes had recovered that same cool, impassive expression that he had in the   
  
beginning, but now…they seemed to carry a new, more elemental power. And their stare   
  
was enough to stop the thing dead.  
  
Slowly, he raised the gun. The thing's eyes widened in surprise and…was that   
  
other expression doubt?  
  
He fired.  
  
The thing screeched in a completely inhuman voice, as the bullet seemed to pass   
  
right through the mirror and strike the reflection in the chest. It glared at Gray with   
  
unutterable fury and blood began to pour out of the wound.  
  
"You can't! You CAN'T hurt me! You're supposed to be scared of me!"  
  
"Scared?" Gray scoffed. "Of you? Hardly. Why should I be scared of my own   
  
reflection?"  
  
"You came here to be punished! Why do you keep struggling!?" The blood was   
  
actually encircling the reflection, covering it.  
  
"I told you…I'm not here to be punished. I'm here to atone."  
  
"There's no dif-"  
  
"Yes, there is," Gray continued. He stared with revulsion at the blood-covered   
  
creature. Was that thing supposed to have looked like him? Was it?  
  
He went on. "With punishment, you've given up; there's nothing left for you to   
  
do but feel pain. But I came here to find solace for my sins, not pain. I came here…for   
  
an answer. And now, I found it.  
  
"What sins you may have committed don't matter. There's always a second   
  
chance, there's always a hope of salvation – as long as you want it badly enough. As   
  
long as you desire to feel, to WANT. My mistake was to hate. It drowned out my   
  
common judgment. Only true emotions can show the real answer – love, sorrow, joy,   
  
and even anger every now and then."  
  
"And what answer is that?" the creature spat.  
  
"What you've done before doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're still   
  
here, and still on your feet. You can always find redemption…as long as you stand."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
Then the reflection started to chuckle. Then it started to laugh. Then it started to   
  
howl. Its deafening, shrieking laughter echoed through the room.  
  
"Oh, please! As long as you can stand? I've never heard something so pathetic!"  
  
"You're scared of me," Gray said calmly, and that stopped the laughter dead.   
  
"You're afraid because you don't want to find out if what I say is true."  
  
The reflection stepped forward, almost coming into contact with its side of the   
  
mirror. It was nothing but a mass of blood now – it obscured every feature but the   
  
mouth.  
  
"Wrong. It's my job to ruin stupid ideals like yours."  
  
"What are you, anyway?"  
  
The mouth grinned. "Ah…how quickly we forget. You recognized me just fine   
  
when we met in the school."  
  
Through his calm expression, Gray dimly felt his guts shrivel up and freeze into a   
  
wrinkled sac of ice.  
  
"It's time to die," the reflection said. It gently placed its hand onto the mirror.  
  
"Speak…I am the Crimson One. The lies and the mist are not they, but I…"  
  
Gray brought up the gun.  
  
"Come on, Gray…can you give me hallelujah?"  
  
The mirror was beginning to thump and beat like a giant glass heart  
  
thump-thump  
  
and with every thump, Gray could see the true identity of the reflection.  
  
Thump-Thump  
  
And oh my God, it was  
  
THUMP-THUMP  
  
It was  
  
THUMP-THUMP!  
  
It  
  
SMASH!!  
  
The mirror shattered and rocketed towards the other wall. Miraculously, every   
  
shard missed Gray, though some passed close enough to slice open his skin. The glass   
  
embedded itself in the wall, and the thing on the other side stood before him.  
  
It was over seven feet tall, wearing a blood-and-pus stained robe and carrying a   
  
huge knife in one hand, with a blade almost half as big as Gray himself. An enormous   
  
rusted metal pyramid-shaped helmet rested on its shoulders, staring blankly at him.  
  
It was the dark executioner of Silent Hill, the beast known only as "Pyramid   
  
Head."  
  
Oh well, Gray thought. It can't move too fast with that knife…  
  
Suddenly, Pyramid Head hoisted the blade and began to dash toward him.  
  
"Awww, HELL!" Gray screamed. He dived to the side just before Pyramid Head   
  
brought the knife around in an arc that would have taken his head off. He dashed to one   
  
of the walls with the executioner close behind.  
  
Gray turned and saw it about to swing again, then quickly dropped to the ground.   
  
The blade planted itself into the wall, and he found himself horribly close to the demon.   
  
Its robe reeked of blood and puke and the dirt of the grave.  
  
Pyramid Head wrenched the blade free and pointed it downwards. Gray rolled   
  
away just before it pinned him like a bug, however as he got back up it swung again. The   
  
blade only nicked him, but he screamed as the sheer force of the swing cause the nick to   
  
become a gash in his side.  
  
Gray ran again, firing the pistol at Pyramid Head. The bullets screamed off the   
  
metal helmet, causing no visible damage whatsoever. He fired until the pistol started to   
  
click, then reloaded the gun frantically as the monster closed in on him, dragging the   
  
knife slowly with one arm. He smacked the clip in and jumped away again just before   
  
the blade came up. He landed on the gash, sending another hot wave of pain through his   
  
body.  
  
The relentless monster started in on him again…  
  
Gray was getting desperate. Noting he had could hurt Pyramid Head, he had one   
  
clip left, and he was getting exhausted. The executioner couldn't even be killed in the   
  
games; the only blind spot it had was under the helmet, and if Gray tried to get there he   
  
would be killed for sure.   
  
What could he do?  
  
Gray's eyes happened upon the bloody remains of the doll just as the monster got   
  
within range again. It backhanded him with its other arm, sending him flying into the   
  
bloody mannequin. He saw stars.  
  
When his vision cleared, Pyramid Head was over him again, knife raised high. It   
  
meant to cleave him in two, and this time there was no escape…  
  
Gray smiled.  
  
This shocked the beast so deeply it held its position, and as it did, Gray spoke   
  
hoarsely:  
  
"This is the strongest of all human emotions, Pyramid Head: Belief. Belief in   
  
your friends, belief in yourself, and belief in the fact that everything has a second chance.   
  
Contemplate that down in Hell."  
  
He raised the pistol high.  
  
"Now, Pyramid Head…can you give me hallelujah?"  
  
He fired off all ten rounds. One bullet hit the small catch on the guillotine and   
  
sent the blade into Pyramid Head's helmet with a loud CHUNK.  
  
For a moment, nothing happened, and Gray was terrified that he failed. But then,   
  
slowly, the knife slipped from its hands and clattered to the ground. It arms hung limply   
  
at its sides.  
  
A voice emitted from the helmet, muffled and garbled as if it were bubbling up   
  
from the excrement-splattered pits of Hell itself:  
  
"HALLELUJAH."  
  
The blade retracted, as a gusher of blood emitted from the contents of Pyramid   
  
Head's helmet. Gray backed away as it collapsed to the ground.  
  
Breathing heavily, Gray noticed yet more writing on the wall, a wall that had been   
  
before obscured by the mirror:  
  
WELL DONE  
  
"But…" Gray said softly, "is there really a way…? It there really a path to   
  
salvation, somewhere where I can feel happy again?"  
  
THERE IS…IF YOU WANT THERE TO BE.  
  
Gray began to cry a little. All of this had been so painful, but he had learned so   
  
much…and maybe, just maybe, he could live with himself now. The voice repeated   
  
itself, a voice which he now recognized as Julia's:  
  
That's it, Gray. Keep going. Be brave, be strong, be true. Stand.  
  
"Stand," he whispered.  
  
With the screeching of valves, another wall lifted. And other the other side was   
  
not a door, but a passage.  
  
And…oh glorious, it was bright.  
  
Still crying, Gray slowly walked into the passageway, though he did not know   
  
where it led. His path to atonement had been long and painful, and how can we possibly   
  
know if he is even finished yet? But surely you all don't care, for now you can return to   
  
your beds, where comfort is king and pain is not allowed.  
  
But please…  
  
Take care, and remember the lesson held in this boy's words.  
  
"Stand." 


	9. Afterword

This fanfic was a lot of firsts for me. It was the first fanfic I ever posted on the   
  
Internet, my first horror story, and the first story I ever wrote based on Silent Hill.   
  
As a newcomer to fanfiction.net, I hope to keep submitting my stories and   
  
receiving criticism on how to improve. Thanks a lot for all your reviews, everyone!  
  
Just for legal purposed, I do not own Silent Hill in any way, nor am I in any way   
  
involved with the Konami Team. Silent Hill is a property of Konami. 


End file.
